Morries on their best behaviour

Kevin Ball
THERE'LL be precious little misbehaving when Morris Minors from all round New Zealand descend on Wairarapa for their annual get-together at Easter next year.
That's because among their number will be a genuine little British police Panda to keep things in order.
But this is no ordinary Morris Minor. An eye-catching duck-egg blue and white, complete with "Police" sign, signwriting and (magnetised) door art, the 1962 Panda is owned by the Wellington Morris Minor Club and will be one of the star attractions of the show.
The Panda, whose livery is correct for the Dorset police district, has a souped-up Morris 1100 engine which propels the little car at speeds of up to 70mph. It was used in rural areas and towns, the motorways being the domain of police Jaguars and TR3s.
Steve Rogers, of Plimmerton, president of the Wellington club, brought the Panda to Wairarapa earlier this month for a planning meeting ahead of the Easter convention.
The Panda project took a total of 10 years, with three years of intense work to complete it. Getting the precise colours was one of the biggest problems.
"We waited four years for that," says Steve, who has 16 Morris Minors of his own. The Dorset police also had Morris Minor Traveller vans for patrol work.
A feature of the Morrie Pandas is a zippered headlining, which provided access to the roof-mounted switch for the "POLICE" sign and also allowed safe storage for the police officers' sandwiches.
With 2004 rapidly running out, planning is well advanced for the Easter gathering, expected to attract anywhere between 100 and 200 of the ubiquitous little English cars.
Wairarapa members John Chesmar (he's the guy with the Tui paint job, Datsun-powered Morris Minor van), Rein and Tessa Oosterling, of Greytown, with a 1961 sedan, and Robert Simonsen of Masterton, with a 1954 convertible, were all on hand at Cobblestones Museum in Greytown when Mostly Motorsport turned up for a photo shoot.
They were joined by convention convenor Terry Smart, of Porirua, in his concours-winning 1961 example.
All expressed the hope that Morris Minors lurking in sheds throughout Wairarapa will be dusted off and brought out for the convention.
If those people go on to become members, that's all to the good. The benefits of membership include access to parts and to expertise, as well as a sharing of affection for the small cars. Non-members are welcome to join in many of the activities.
Terry said there will be runs throughout the region, taking in sights that could include Castlepoint, vineyards, the Fell engine museum and Mt Bruce.
The organisers also hope to have a public display and concours judging on the Queen Elizabeth Park oval.
The convention moves around the country each year, with Invercargill being last year's venue.